New NICE Guidance for Low Back Pain

Some patients may require a short course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or a weak opioid. Although the guidelines caution against using paracetamol alone for low back pain, they note that sciatica may respond to neuropathic drugs, such as gabapentin and epidural steroids.

Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.

Reference

Bernstein IA, Malik Q, Carville S, et al. Low back pain and sciatica: Summary of NICE guidance. BMJ. 2017 Jan 6;356:i6748. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i6748.

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